Holden - Starting an online business for dummies

Starting an Online Business For Dummies, 7th Edition

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Copyright 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013936848

ISBN 978-1-118-60778-7 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-65194-0 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-65201-5 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Introduction

Youve been thinking about starting your own business for a while now. Youve heard about the woman whose Julie/Julia Project blog was turned into a book and a popular movie. Youve heard about young entrepreneurs whove made billions creating popular websites such as Facebook. But youve been slow to jump on the bandwagon. Youre a busy person, after all. You have a full-time job, whether its running your home or working outside your home. Or perhaps youve been laid off or are going through some other life-changing event and are ready to take off in a new direction, but the economic upheavals of recent years leave you understandably reluctant to make a big career change.

Well, I have news for you: Now is the perfect time to turn your dream into reality by starting your own online business. More individuals than ever before regular folks just like you are making money and enriching their lives by operating businesses online. The clock and your location are no longer limiting factors. Small business owners can now work any time of the night or day in their spare bedrooms, local libraries, or neighborhood coffee shops.

If you like the idea of being in business for yourself but dont have a particular product or service in mind, relax and keep yourself open to inspiration. Many different kinds of commercial enterprises can hit it big on the Internet. Among the entrepreneurs I interviewed for this book are a woman who sells her own insect repellent, a husband and wife who sell items from their native Europe, a woman who provides office services for the medical community, a housewife who sells sweetener and coffee on eBay, a sculptor and painter, a young man who started selling electronics online at age 16, and several folks who create web pages for other businesses. With the help of this book, you can start a new endeavor and be in charge of your own cyberbusiness, too.

You Can Do It!

Whats that? You say you wouldnt know a merchant account, a profit and loss statement, or a clickthrough advertising rate if it came up to you on the street and introduced itself? Dont worry: The Internet (and this book) levels the playing field so that a novice has just as good a chance at succeeding as MBAs who love to throw around business terms at cocktail parties.

The Internet is a pervasive and everyday part of the business landscape these days. Whether youve been in business for 20 years or 20 minutes, the keys to success are the same:

Having a good idea: If you have something to sell that people have an appetite for, and if your competition is slim, you have a strong chance of being successful.

Working hard: When youre your own boss, you can make yourself work harder than any of your former bosses ever could. If you put in the effort and persist through the inevitable ups and downs, youll be a winner.

Believing in yourself: One of the most surprising and useful things I discovered from the online businesspeople I interviewed was that if you believe that youll succeed, you probably will. Believe in yourself and proceed as though youll be successful. Together with your good ideas and hard work, your confidence will pay off.

If youre the cautious type who wants to test the waters before you launch your new business on the Internet, let this book lead you gently up the learning curve. After youre online, you can master techniques to improve your presence. This book includes helpful hints for doing market research and reworking your website to achieve success.

Jump In, the Waters Fine

When I first started revising this new edition in early 2013, I was not surprised to find that many businesses had rebounded five years after the serious economic crash. I was surprised to find that so many new ways of doing business had either appeared or become commonplace (mobile shopping and Facebook stores, for example). It turns out that any time is a good time to start an online business as long as you have a good idea and a smart business plan.